Turkey called on the UN Security Council to take "necessary action" to halt Syrian aggression against its territory after cross-border shelling killed five Turkish civilians.

In a sharp escalation of tensions between the neighbours, Turkey shelled Syrian targets in retaliation for the cross-border fire, the first to kill Turkish citizens.

UN diplomats said the council was expected to issue a statement condemning the Syrian attack,

The incident, which Turkey said killed five women and children, was the most serious since June, when Syria shot down a Turkish fighter with the loss of its two-man crew and Ankara took the matter to NATO.